The Final Fantasy series has had over a dozen mainline entries and a vast amount of spin-offs in its nearly 35-year-long run. These games contained a wide range of protagonist types.
Some heroes are silent, while others are filled with charming personalities. This list will highlight 10 protagonists with the most memorable personalities, story depth, and relevance to the storyline.
Updated by Mohamed Hassan on July 6, 2023: Clive from Final Fantasy 16 was added to the list of all-time best Final Fantasy protagonists, while Sarah from FF13-2 has been removed from her previous 7th position. A new feature image featuring Clive has been added, and the links throughout have been refreshed to offer more interesting options for readers.
10 Zidane Tribal (Final Fantasy 9)
Zidane's emotional response to a lot of situations in the early game is often bland. His personality isn't as strongly developed as many other protagonists until near the end. The most emotional scene with him is when he gets depressed upon finding out the truth about who he is, but Zidane quickly gets over those feelings.
The larger focus on Vivi's personality makes him feel like the heart of the game instead of Zidane. Zidane does make up for this by having large relevance to the final storyline. His connection to the main villains makes his playing the role of protagonist make sense.
9 Squall Leonhart (Final Fantasy 8)
After the massive success of Final Fantasy 7, the next installment tried to parallel many of its attributes. Squall's attitude was largely based on Cloud's. This means his storyline would have to be an improvement for him to be better.
The mysterious aspects of Squall's backstory aren't packed with as much detail as Cloud's. He does stick out a little from his predecessor by having a unique Gunsword weapon. Squall would eventually become one of the most prominent Final Fantasy characters in the Kingdom Hearts series.
8 Cloud Strife (Final Fantasy 7)
Cloud is undoubtedly the most popular protagonist in the series. His personality comes off as edgy at first, but he opens up much more after remembering his past. The Advent Children movie further progresses his character growth, as he learns to open up more to other people.
Cloud's development, unique weapons, and ability to stand out from his predecessors excellently represent the standard of quality a Final Fantasy protagonist should have. He makes many appearances in spin-offs, as well as crossovers like Kingdom Hearts and Super Smash Bros Ultimate.
7 Zack Fair (Crisis Core)
Crisis Core is one of the few prequels to mainline installments that greatly enhance the original story. It gives a lot more depth to Cloud's best friend. Zack is a kind-hearted and cheerful soldier. He dreams of becoming a noble hero. His personality and determination are straightforward but executed very well.
Zack has many similar qualities to Serah and Cloud. Like Serah, he is willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of what is right. Zack shares a similar design and weapon to Cloud, but his personality and storyline makes him stand out a lot.
6 Noctis Lucis Caelum (Final Fantasy 15)
Noctis is another main character who is willing to wage his own life to save the world. Unlike the others, he forgets very close bonds with characters. Prompto, Ignis, and Gladio help Noctis on every step of his journey.
It's clear that they all have a brotherly bond with each other. Many sacrifices in 15 have a larger emotional impact compared to other games due to the party's connection to each other.
5 Terra Branford (Final Fantasy 6)
Final Fantasy 6 doesn't have a single main character that the entire plot follows. It offers a large variety of playable characters with unique gameplay styles. Except for a few scenes, players can pick whomever they want to fill their party. That being said, Terra is the first character introduced, and she stays relevant to the story even if players choose to ignore her in favor of other characters.
Out of the playable cast, she is the most popular. Her hybrid Esper blood allows her to transform into a design that vaguely resembles the legendary Summons that the series is known for. It also makes her stand out a lot from every other character in the series.
4 Clive (Final Fantasy 16)
In keeping with the criteria of the list's original writer, the fourth place in the ranking is very appropriate for Clive, as he's one of the most memorable and story-relevant Final Fantasy protagonists in his own respective game. Clive's story is not just his story; it's the story of the entire world of Valisthea. Many inhabitants from various regions aid him on his journey. Moreover, the sacrifices he makes throughout the story have an impact on the entire world, not just his personal sphere.
That said, we wouldn't say it's as deep as the characters below, who happen to have even more depth and story relevance than Clive, thanks to many story-related creative decisions, sequels, and other supplemental material that Final Fantasy 16 doesn't have (yet).
3 Tidus (Final Fantasy 10)
Tidus is a sports star who gets sent 1,000 years through time. He uniquely incorporates his hobby into his attacks which not only makes them flashier but also makes his personality stick out more from other protagonists.
Tidus also takes a back seat to another character as Zidane does, but Tidus has a much stronger emotional focus. He constantly has an emotional impact on the story and characters throughout the game. Party member development in 9 doesn't feel like it's a direct result of Zidane, while Tidus is the main reason Yuna grows.
2 Yuna (Final Fantasy 10-2)
In the first game she appeared in, Yuna was a Summoner who went on a journey to save the world. She loved her whole life trying to save others. Yuna wasn't the protagonist but was still one of the most important characters in the game. The sequel put her in the spotlight.
After saving the world she learns to live her life the way she wants. Yuna follows after her own ambitions. While most of the attachment to Yuna comes from her appearance in the original game, this extra character development and spotlight do improve her even further.
1 Cecil Harvey (Final Fantasy 4)
Cecil starts off as an agent of darkness, as he commits many severe crimes under the command of his king. Cecil eventually throws his Dark Knight armor away in favor of becoming a holy Paladin who fights for justice.
Cecil's journey to find redemption for the blood he spilled has him undergo the most ambitious development the series has to offer. The class change also gives him new skills which freshen up gameplay partway through the storyline.